


Reflections of Stars

by wonshushushu



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst, Arranged Marriage, Betrayal, Depression, Eventual Romance, First Meetings, Forced Marriage, I listened to a lot of pretty piano music and it made me think of the ocean, M/M, Prince Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups, Prince Yoon Jeonghan, Suicidal Thoughts, was supposed to be a one shot but is being continued
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:14:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26280001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wonshushushu/pseuds/wonshushushu
Summary: The night of his 18th birthday, Jeonghan was told he would be getting married. In a weeks time, his father explained, they would travel together to the Kingdom of Edinnor for his wedding and return home without him. He was being traded for an army. He would never see them again.
Relationships: Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups & Yoon Jeonghan, Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Yoon Jeonghan
Comments: 7
Kudos: 54





	Reflections of Stars

**Author's Note:**

> It is recommended that you read the warnings and tags before reading this work. Enjoy~

The night of his 18th birthday, Jeonghan was told he would be getting married. In a weeks time, his father explained, they would travel together to the Kingdom of Edinnor for his wedding and return home without him. He was being traded for an army. He would never see them again.

Jeonghan knew this would happen, knew he was only raised as a pawn for strategic use. As he listened to the men and women of the court gasp in delight he couldn't help feeling sick. Jeonghan did his best to keep his head high and take it with grace. He was best at that.

The week went by without any words from his parents, too busy preparing for their son's departure to talk to him about what was to come. Jeonghan didn't hold it against them. He thought it best to distance himself, too. Soon, they would only be memories in his mind of a life he once lived, along with this far away place he once called home, somewhere he grew and played and learned obedience. The virtues of a true prince. 

Jeonghan stayed strong through his sister's tears. The young Princess had been distraught until Jeonghan explained why he had to leave. _Although it would be difficult without him, she was stronger than he was. It wouldn't be hard after a while._ The answers satisfied her enough to join in with a fraction of the excitement their mother held for Jeonghan's new life. The Prince was the only person in the kingdom who couldn't celebrate.

Their trip to Edinnor was a long one. Two days and an afternoon. The King and Queen rode by carriage with the Princess, while Jeonghan opted to ride alone. The familiarity of his black horse was a welcomed comfort as he rode toward his new life. It gave him the feeling of control. This way he felt like he could choose where he was taken.

He thought about turning back, riding off into the horizon without another thought. Just himself and the wind. He knew he wouldn't get far before being brought back against his will. This wasn't just a marriage, it was a business deal. An agreement between two kingdoms. Jeonghan decided he wouldn't be a coward, he wouldn't be the embarrassment he wanted to be for his family. It didn't matter if he had to throw his life away, if he was forced to be selfless. His life had never belonged to him in the first place.

Edinnor's capital was near the water. From the palace gates, one could view the entire ocean in all its blue wonder. Jeonghan had never seen anything so beautiful before. He only had minutes to take it in before he was rushed inside to meet his new King and Queen. He couldn't bring himself to mind too much. If he wished to see the ocean, now, he would have a lifetime to do so.

His betrothed was absent from their first meeting. Jeonghan was told the Crowned Prince Seungcheol was on a hunting expedition, a right of passage for the men of Edinnor the night before their wedding. For a brief moment, Jeonghan wished his people had traditions, too. He brushed it off. Those weren't his people anymore.

He was escorted to his temporary room, an elegant yet plain looking bedroom on the eastern side of the palace where he would stay for one night before being forced to sleep in the same room as the complete stranger he was marrying. Jeonghan was told to wash and go to bed, as tomorrow he would need to be rested for the ceremony. Once everyone was gone, the closed door was a silent order for him to stay put. He felt as though he was taken prisoner. He made his was to the balcony of his bedroom and stared out at the ocean he'd only heard about through books.

It was even more vast than he'd imagined it to be, the white moon in the black night's sky mirroring itself into the dark waves. Jeonghan suddenly wished to know what it was like to be out there, floating among the reflection of stars. Perhaps out there, he would feel free. The Prince grabbed a cloak and rushed out of his room without another thought.

Jeonghan made his way out of the palace without being noticed. He wasn't quite sure how he found he exit so easily, but when he did he followed the sound of the sea. It pulled him in and took him to a stone pathway leading down to a wooden dock. The Prince takes his time in the darkness, making it to the edge of the dock, ocean moving beneath him in controlled movements and wind brushing through his long hair. Gentle gusts soothed his nerves and keep him calm as he looked out toward the horizon. His eyes flickered down toward the waves.

_It's a long way down._

_What would happen to him if he went in?_

It was a thought that stuck in his mind. Perhaps the ocean would sweep him away into nothingness; slip into the current and be carried out to the skyline. Maybe he would become one of the stars. Jeonghan pulled his cloak closer to his body as the wind grew stronger. He wondered what the pull of the sea felt like. 

Slowly, Jeonghan knelt down on the dock, the dark of the night blinding him to his surroundings. He bent over and reached his hand down over the edge.

_It's too far._

Desperate to know what his mind mulled over, he reached farther, ocean spray speckling his hand. 

_He can almost reach it._

He moved his body so it hung down off the side, hair falling into his face. _He's_ _so_ _close_.

"Be careful!" He heard a voice call. It startles him and he nearly falls. Then, there two hands are pulling him back upright. There's a man with him on the dock. 

Jeonghan pants, shivering with how cold the wind has become. He noticed he has tears on his cheeks. He hadn't even realized he was crying.

"Where you trying to get yourself killed? You could have fallen in. It can be dangerous out here on your own." The stranger scolded. Jeonghan was still trying to process what happened.

The man helped Jeonghan stand up, light from the palace illuminating their faces slightly, enough so Jeonghan could finally see the person he was with. Jet black hair and a wide-eyed gaze, an otherwise handsome face. They had to be around the same age. Jeonghan guessed it was a squire who'd returned with the Crowned Prince from his hunt. 

"Are you injured? You're crying..." The stranger said in concern, moving closer into the Prince's space. Jeonghan backed up to put distance between them, but worried the man by getting closer to the edge. He put his hands on either side of the Prince and held him steady. "Come, we'll move away from the dock. It's not safe." Jeonghan allowed the man to lead him away from the sea.

When they made it to the stone pathway Jeonghan took to get here, the Prince stopped and bowed slightly in apology.

"I did not mean to worry you, I apologize if I did." He said in eloquence. The stranger disagreed with him.

"I was only concerned for your safety... You must not be from Edinnor." 

"How could you tell?" Jeonghan asked with a small sardonic smile. As if his blond hair didn't make him stand out enough from the dull features of the Edinnorans.

"It is quite obvious from your accent. Also, no one from Edinnor would be reaching into the sea at this time of night."

Jeonghan looked back at the ocean in admiration. 

"I... I've just never seen anything like it before." He said in admission, pulling his cloak closer to his small frame. The man lent him a soft smile.

"It is quite beautiful, but it's even brighter in the daylight." He assured. Jeonghan wondered what the sunrise would look like when it shone against the tide. "I don't mean to bother, but were you upset about something?"

The Prince turned back to the stranger, face down turned with dejection. 

"I dread what's to come. Tomorrow, I will marry someone I haven't met before, and my family will leave me here without a second thought. I suppose I just wanted my last night of freedom to be shared with something beautiful." 

The stranger looked shocked for a moment, stumbling over his words. 

"I see. So you are-... The Prince of Yoryn..." Jeonghan felt disappointed at the change in demeanour and tried to make up for it.

"I am the Prince, but please... tonight, I just want to be..."

"Anything other than your title?" The stranger smiled with the same dejection, looking at the ground. "I'm afraid I know that all too well."

Jeonghan, confused at the man's words, furrows his eyebrows. There was no way this lowborn squire would know anything about how he's feeling, unless he wasn't really a squire in the first place. Jeonghan's eyes widened and he dropped onto his knees, bowing deeply in an Edinnoran fashion. He hadn't noticed the royal crest on the man's clothing before then.

"I apologize for not recognizing you, your highness." Jeonghan said, tears coming back into his eyes. This was who he was set to marry. Seungcheol, Crowned Prince of Edinnor. The stranger who'd saved him from falling into the sea. He would be punished for speaking down to him, for risking his life the night before their marriage. His first encounter had already been a disaster.

Life was cruel.

"It's alright, truly. We would have no way of knowing one another's faces..." Seungcheol reassured, pulling Jeonghan to stand, hand on his shoulder. The Prince of Yoryn finds comfort in the Edinnoran Prince's gentle touch. "I feel relieved, truthfully. I dreaded seeing you for the first time at the alter."

Jeonghan nodded in agreement. He had felt the same way. Talking with Seungcheol, now, had made his head feel clearer. The wind gusts past the couple, blowing his hair into his face. Seungcheol brushed it away as though they were friends. As though he'd known him for a lifetime.

"The night is gaining on us, we should go back inside." He suggested. Jeonghan took another longing look at the ocean. Was it really time for him to turn his back on freedom?

Seungcheol captured his hand and tugged.

"Come along, I want to show you something." 

The pair walk through the palace, their shoes echoing on marble floors throughout the vast hallways. Seungcheol lead Jeonghan up to the highest point, a lonely room at the top of a winding staircase. It was hidden, tucked away passed all the others; one could miss it if they didn't know it was there.

The walls of the room were filled with sketches of constellations and paintings of the stars. Jeonghan took his time to look around while Seungcheol dragged blankets from one of the large wardrobes in the corner into the centre of the room. He laid them out in front of a curtain and ushered Jeonghan to sit down. Once he did, he waited for Seungcheol to finish his task. 

With a firm tug on a golden cord hanging off to the side, the curtain is pulled to the side, revealing a large window looking out into the sky. Jeonghan got up on his knees to see it better. In amazement, he stared at how the sky met the sea, a million stars dancing in the moonlight.

Seungcheol smiled at his awe and sat down beside him, watching Jeonghan more than the scene in front of them. Jeonghan felt convinced he saw heaven from Earth.

The night passed with the two Princes sat in front of the window. They spoke only when needed, simply enjoying the sights and peace the night brings. Eventually, the sunrise spilled against the horizon, causing Jeonghan's heart to ache. Although he sat in tranquility with his betrothed tonight, reality was beginning to set in. They would still be married. This would be his entire life now.

Seungcheol noticed Jeonghan's change in mood and interlocked their fingers without a word. Jeonghan glanced between them, meeting Seungcheol's starry gaze. 

"Everything will be all right." Jeonghan said, quiet enough to keep their atmosphere. Seungcheol smiled and nodded back at him.

They turn back to the sky.

**Author's Note:**

> feedback appreciated ~ 
> 
> [twt](https://twitter.com/aesvtz)
> 
> EDIT: okay, so this was supposed to be a oneshot. However, it's come to my attentions by multiple people that I should continue this story. I've decided to do so. Please look forward to upcoming updates~~


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